The hummers keep me busy refilling the feeders these days. It's fun to listen to them buzz by, and to watch their aerial acrobatics. I think they're liking the new look in the gardens, too!
This was my view yesterday as I drank my morning coffee waiting the Handsome to return with our hard-working guys, Mike and Justin. They're really transforming our gardens from an unkempt mess to a tidy, lovely place again, and we're extremely grateful for their help.
My kitchen garden is lovely again. The hollyhocks will be confined to the kitchen wall (under the windows), and the one lush plant next to the main entry staircase. The hostas have room to flourish, and I planted two English lavender plants under the oriole and hummingbird feeders.
Near the rocks on the left, the monarda (bee balm) is already spreading, and I have a few small hollyhocks near the birdbath. I purchased those showy sunflowers to add a pop of color right now. They look so happy, and they make me smile!
On the other side of our entry staircase, I planted two French lavender plants. The creeping phlox along the wall have already blossomed and the sedum in the corner is getting huge. There is one big "volunteer" hollyhock under the second pillar, and the showy columbines are closer to the downspout. I have more monarda plants toward the front corner of the wall, along with a pretty new shasta daisy at the very end. A coneflower cluster will bloom this summer, and the mums are really spreading out. I chose to keep all the milkweed plants that came up on the terrace, too.
So, we went through thirty five - 2 cu ft. bags of mulch (so far). That wasn't enough to cover the entire front side of the house. Handsome will pick up more today when he's in town for another appointment, and we'll put that down ourselves later this week. We made a decision to keep all the flowers on this side of the terrace, and the terrace area around the corner of the porch will be seeded in grass. We may decide to add bushes or other plants in the future, but for now, we'll just keep it mowed and tidy.
I'm also planning to bring the flowers that are in the garden near the fence across our yard into this area in the fall. I think the daffodils will add lovely color in the spring, and the bearded iris are flowering right now, which would be a perfect followup. There are tiger lilies, my huge bleeding heart bush, and a few other plants that will move over here, as well.
Our plan is to remove the rickety length of fencing there and turn that area into grass next year. Plants will need to be moved first, though. I don't want to lose a single one.
I'm really happy with the way our terrace garden looks with the dark mulch. We've nearly always used cypress mulch, which has a golden color to it. I like that this mulch looks like black dirt, and will do its job to keep the weeds down. I'll also do my part to keep up with the weeding as it's needed.
We're thinking we'll have Mike and Justin back one more day (next Saturday) to help clean out two more beds. Then everything will be in order, and we can concentrate on other things. You can tell by the dirty knees that they really got into their tasks, and we're the beneficiaries.
While they worked in the yard yesterday, I baked, and at the end of the day, I sent the guys home with fresh rolls. Justin had to take a bite before they were even in the truck to go back to Kewaskum! It was pretty cute.
So, there's our weekend in a (large) nutshell. I'll be in the studio today. My sister, Di, has asked me to quilt a lap quilt that she made, and then to bind it. Of course, I said yes. I guess I'd better get it done now. We're scheduled to get rain, which the gardens will love. It will be perfect for sitting at the sewing machine, too.
Have a great week. I'm off to get my cuppa coffee and some breakfast before I get to work. Tag says he'll see you tomorrow!
